Ultrasound system with disinfecting feature

ABSTRACT

A method for using an ultrasound imaging system including a disinfection system is disclosed. The disinfection system may include one or more ultraviolet light sources. The UV light sources may be included in a display. The disinfection system may be configured to operate when the display is parallel to a control panel of the ultrasound imaging system. The disinfection system may provide indications of the disinfection status of the ultrasound imaging system.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No.15/756,631, filed on Mar. 1, 2018, which is in turn the U.S. NationalPhase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No.PCT/IB2016/055186, filed on Aug. 31, 2016, which claims the benefit ofProvisional Application Ser. No. 62/215,799 filed Sep. 9, 2015. Theseapplications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Medical devices are prone to contamination by infectious agents such asviruses and bacteria. Even medical devices that do not come in directcontact with a patient may become contaminated. For example, controlpanels on medical devices (e.g., ultrasound imaging systems, pulseoximeters, IV pumps) may become contaminated when a technician touches apatient and then touches the control panel. A technician may alsocontaminate the control panel by transferring infectious agents fromother locations (e.g., restroom, cafeteria, other control panel). Thismay increase the risk of transferring an infectious agent to a patientvia the medical device.

Control panels and other portions of medical devices are regularlydisinfected to avoid cross-contamination. Disinfecting the medicaldevice may be accomplished by cleansing the medical device with adisinfecting solution. The disinfecting solution may be sprayed on andwiped off or the disinfecting solution may be included in apre-saturated towel that used to wipe down the medical device. Whileeffective, the disinfecting solution is toxic and can degrade surfacesof the medical device.

SUMMARY

An example ultrasound system according to an embodiment of thedisclosure may include a display, a control panel, an ultraviolet (UV)light source coupled to the display, wherein the UV light source may beconfigured to turn on responsive to a control signal, an articulationsystem coupled to the display that may be configured to position thedisplay, and a controller coupled to the UV light source and thecontroller may be configured to provide the control signal to turn onthe UV light source responsive to the display being positioned in adisinfect position.

An example method of disinfecting an ultrasound imaging system accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure may include detecting, with aposition sensor, a display is in a disinfect position; providing acontrol signal to an ultra violet (UV) light source to turn on the UVlight source; running a timer for a disinfection cycle time; andproviding the control signal to the UV light source to turn off the UVlight source responsive to completion of the disinfection cycle time,wherein the control signal may be provided by a controller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an ultrasound system including adisinfection system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the ultrasound system includingthe disinfection system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a disinfection system accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an example of a graphical display of a user interfaceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an example of a graphical display of a user interfaceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an example of a graphical display of a user interfaceaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of certain exemplary embodiments is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention orits applications or uses. In the following detailed description ofembodiments of the present systems and methods, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shownby way of illustration specific embodiments in which the describedsystems and methods may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thepresently disclosed systems and methods, and it is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and that structural and logicalchanges may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent system.

The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present system is defined only bythe appended claims. The leading digit(s) of the reference numbers inthe figures herein typically correspond to the figure number, with theexception that identical components which appear in multiple figures areidentified by the same reference numbers. Moreover, for the purpose ofclarity, detailed descriptions of certain features will not be discussedwhen they would be apparent to those with skill in the art so as not toobscure the description of the present system.

Ultrasound imaging systems may be portable units on carts that may betransported to different locations, for example, different exam rooms ina hospital. The ultrasound imaging system may include a control panelfor operating the ultrasound imaging system and a display for viewingimages acquired with the ultrasound imaging system. The display may be aflat panel display that may be moved into different positions. Aftercompleting an exam, a sonographer may move the display into a positionparallel to the control panel. The display may include one or moreultraviolet (UV) light sources that may power on when the display is inthe parallel position. The UV light sources may disinfect the controlpanel and/or other components of the ultrasound imaging system. Asknown, UV light may be an effective disinfectant by killing organismssuch as bacteria and viruses. After disinfection, the sonographer mayreturn the display to a position viewable to the sonographer and conductanother exam. The disinfection of the control panel may reduce oreliminate cross-contamination between exams.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging system 100including a disinfection system according to at least one embodiment ofthe disclosure. An ultrasound imaging system may include a display 105that may be positioned by a user. In some embodiments, the display 105may be a flat panel display. The display 105 may be articulated to beviewed over a wide range of viewing positons. The articulation may beprovided by a two-arm articulation system 110 with a counter-weightassisted 4-bar linkage. The display 105 may have a peripheral grippingsurface which may facilitate holding the display 105 and beingrepositioned with one hand. An example of an ultrasound system having anarticulated flat panel display that may be used to implement one or moreembodiments of the disclosure may be found in European Patent EP1713396. The display 105 may be positioned parallel to a control panel120 of the ultrasound imaging system. The parallel position mayfacilitate moving the ultrasound imaging system between locations and/orfacilitate disinfecting the control panel 120 as will be describedfurther below. The control panel 120 may include one or more controlelements for controlling the ultrasound imaging system 100. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, the control panel 120 includes a keyboard121, a track ball 122, control knobs and switches 124, and a flat paneltouch screen 123. Other embodiments of the control panel 120 may includemore or fewer control elements. Other embodiments of the control panel120 may include different elements than those shown in FIG. 1. Forexample, the control panel 120 may include a track pad, one or morerocker switches, and/or microphone.

The display 105 may include one or more UV light sources 115. The UVlight sources 115 may be located along a perimeter of a screen portion106 of display 105, for example, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1.In some embodiments, the UV light sources 115 may be embedded withinand/or behind the screen portion 106. Examples of UV light sources 115may include but are not limited to LEDs, pulsed xenon lamps, andfluorescent bulbs. The display 105 may include one or more types of UVlight sources 115. The UV light sources 115 may emit UV waves in therange of approximately 100-280 nm, 200 nm-320 nm, 100-320 nm, 250-260nm, and/or other range suitable for killing organisms such as bacteriaand viruses. In some embodiments, the UV light sources 115 may produceUV light having a fluence of 2,000-10,000 μW s/cm².

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the ultrasound imaging system 100according to at least one embodiment of the disclosure where the display105 is in a position parallel to the control panel 120. When the display105 is in a position parallel to a control panel 120, the UV lightsources 115 may illuminate the control panel 120 when powered on. The UVillumination is depicted by lines 205. The UV illumination may disinfectsurfaces of the control panel 120 exposed to the UV illumination,including the control elements such as the keyboard 121, track ball 122,control knobs and switches 124, and touch screen 123. In someembodiments, the UV illumination may illuminate other portions of theultrasound imaging system 100 for disinfection. For example, the UVillumination may disinfect a handle 125, ultrasound probes (not shown),instrument holders 130, ultrasound probe cables (not shown), cableholders (not shown), pedals 135, and/or a combination thereof.

Referring to both FIGS. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the ultrasoundimaging system 100 may include UV light sources 115 other than thedisplay 105. For example, UV light sources 115 may be included ininstrument holders 130 of the ultrasound imaging system. The UV lightsources may illuminate and disinfect the holder 130 and/or at least aportion of an instrument (e.g., handle of an ultrasound probe) in theinstrument holder 130. In another example, the UV light sources 115 maybe included under a keyboard 121 of the control panel 120 (not visiblein FIGS. 1 and 2). The UV light sources 115 may illuminate the undersideof a track ball 122 of the control panel 120. This may facilitatedisinfecting all surfaces of the track ball 122. In another example, theUV light sources 115 may be included in the control panel 120 and/or aperiphery of the control panel 120. Theses UV light sources mayilluminate the display 105 for disinfection.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a disinfection system 300 of anultrasound imaging system, such as ultrasound imaging system 100,according to at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The disinfectionsystem 300 may include a position sensor 305 that may detect a positionof a display. In some embodiments, the position sensor 305 may belocated in an articulation system of the display. The position sensor305 may provide information on the detected position to a controller 310of the ultrasound imaging system. The controller 310 may be implementedas hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, in someembodiments, the controller 310 may be an integrated circuit includingcircuits such as logic circuits and computational circuits. The circuitsof the controller 310 may operate to execute various operations andprovide control signals to other circuits of the disinfection system300. In some embodiments, the controller 310 may be implemented asmultiple controllers. The controller 310 may control the operation ofthe UV light sources 315. The controller 310 may provide one or morecontrol signals to the UV light sources 315. The UV light sources 315may turn on and/or off responsive to the one or more control signals.For example, the controller 310 may prevent UV light sources 315 frombeing powered on and/or the controller 310 may shut off the UV lightsources 315 when the display is not in a position parallel to a controlpanel. This may prevent the UV light sources 315 from being powered onwhen the display is in an upright position, which may inadvertentlyilluminate eyes and/or skin of a user and/or patient causing irritationor annoyance. The UV light sources 315 may be implemented as UV lightsources 115 in some embodiments.

The UV light sources 315 may illuminate a control panel and/or otherportions of the ultrasound imaging system for a period of time todisinfect the surfaces illuminated by the UV light sources 315. Theperiod of time may be several seconds, half a minute, a minute, severalminutes, fifteen minutes, an hour, or several hours. In an exampleembodiment, the period of time is two minutes. The UV light sources 315may power down after the period of time has elapsed. This period of timemay be referred to as a disinfection cycle. The length of thedisinfection cycle may be set by a timer 330. The timer 330 may sendtime information to the controller 310. The controller 310 may beconfigured to turn off the UV light source 315 when the timer 330indicates that the disinfection cycle has elapsed. In some embodiments,the timer 330 is pre-programmed. In some embodiments, the timer 330 maybe set by a user.

The disinfection system 300 may include a motion sensor 320 and/or touchsensor 325 that may detect when a user's hand has touched the controlpanel and/or moved between the control panel and the display. The motionsensor 320 and/or touch sensor 325 may provide information on thedetected motion and/or touch to the controller 310. The controller 310may prevent the UV light sources 315 from being powered on and/or shutoff the UV light sources 315 when motion and/or touch is detected. Thismay prevent the UV light sources from being powered on when they mayilluminate the skin of a user and/or patient. It may also prevent theultrasound imaging system from indicating it is disinfected. Forexample, if a user touches a button of the control panel half-waythrough a disinfection cycle of the UV light sources 315, the user maycontaminate the button. However, the UV light sources 315 may notilluminate the button for a long enough period of time after the user'stouch to fully disinfect the button.

The motion sensor 320 may be included on the display and/or the controlpanel of the ultrasound imaging system. In an example embodiment, aninfrared (IR) light source may be included on the display and an IRlight detector may be included on the control panel. The IR light sourcemay provide a beam of IR light to the detector. When the IR lightdetector detects a break in the beam, the IR light detector may registera detected motion. Other configurations and/or types of motion sensorsmay be used. In an example embodiment, the touch sensor 325 may beincluded in the control panel of the ultrasound imaging system. Thetouch sensor 325 may detect actuation of control elements (e.g.,buttons, switches, knobs) based, at least in part, on electrical signalsgenerated with the control elements are actuated. The touch sensor 325may detect changes in resistance across the control panel as a result ofa user coming in contact with the control panel. Other types of touchsensors may also be used.

The controller 310 may be pre-programmed and/or may be programmed by auser. For example, the user may adjust the disinfection cycle time viathe control panel 30 of the ultrasound imaging system. In someembodiments, the user may set the disinfection system 300 to run adisinfection cycle automatically whenever the display is in a positionparallel to the control panel. In other embodiments, the user may setthe disinfection system 300 to run a disinfection cycle when display isin a position parallel to the control panel only at certain times (e.g.,once an hour, overnight).

The controller 310 may provide information to a user interface 35 (e.g.,a screen portion of the display of the ultrasound imaging system). Theinformation may include the length of a disinfection cycle, the time ofthe last full disinfection cycle, time of an interrupted disinfectioncycle, disinfection status, and/or other information.

FIGS. 4-6 are schematic illustrations of example graphical displays of auser interface 400 according to at least one embodiment of thedisclosure. The user interface 400 may be controlled by hardware,software, or a combination thereof. For example, the user interface 400may receive information and/or control signals from a controller such ascontroller 310. In some embodiments, the user interface 400 may receiveinformation and/or control signals from one or more processors of theultrasound imaging system. The one or more processors may executesoftware instructions provided on a non-transitory computer readablemedium. For example, the processors may generate graphics for thegraphical displays and provide the graphics to the user interface 400.The graphical displays of the user interface 400 may be responsive toinformation received from a controller of a disinfection system, such ascontroller 310 of disinfection system 300. The graphical displays of theuser interface 400 may be shown on a display of an ultrasound imagingsystem.

FIG. 4 shows an example graphic 405 that indicates that an ultrasoundimaging system was successfully disinfected. The graphic 405 may includean icon 420 and text 410 that indicate the system has been disinfected,and/or the time and/or date 415 of the disinfection. The graphic 405 maybe helpful to a user to confirm that a disinfection cycle has completed,when the disinfection cycle was completed, and that the system is nowconsidered disinfected. The graphic 405 may be shown on a display of theultrasound imaging system until a user touches the control panel and/orbegins an exam.

FIG. 5 shows an example graphic 505 that indicates that disinfection ofan ultrasound imaging system was interrupted. The graphic 505 mayinclude an icon 520, text 510 that indicates the system has not beendisinfected, and/or the time and/or date 515 of the interruption. Thegraphic 505 may be helpful to a user to appreciate that a disinfectioncycle was not completed, and that another disinfection cycle may need tobe performed before the system is considered disinfected. The graphic505 may be shown on a display of the ultrasound imaging system until auser touches the control panel and/or begins an exam.

The graphics 405 and 505 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are generally located atthe bottom portion of the graphical display of the user interface 400.The graphic 405 may be located in other portions of the graphicaldisplay of the user interface 400. For example, in some embodiments, thegraphic 405 may be generally located at an upper portion of thegraphical display of the user interface 400. In other embodiments, thegraphic 405 may be located to either the right portion or the leftportion of the graphical display of the user interface 400.

FIG. 6 shows an example graphic 605 that indicates past disinfections,which may provide a disinfection log. The graphic 605 may include thetimes and dates of past disinfections. The graphic 605 may be helpful toa user to provide a historical understanding of, for example, frequencyof disinfection cycles, when the last disinfection cycle was performed,as well as other information related to disinfection of the ultrasoundimaging system. In some embodiments, the graphic 605 may includeinterrupted disinfection cycles in addition to completed disinfectioncycles. The graphic 605 may be shown on a display of the ultrasoundimaging system until a user touches the control panel and/or begins anexam. In some embodiments, the user may access the graphic 605 throughthe user interface 400 through the control panel. The graphic 605 shownin FIG. 6 is generally located at the upper-right portion of thegraphical display of the user interface 400. The graphic 605 may belocated in other portions of the graphical display of the user interface400. For example, in some embodiments, the graphic 605 may be generallylocated at an upper-left portion of the graphical display of the userinterface 400. In other embodiments, the graphic 605 may be located toeither the lower-right portion or the lower-left portion of thegraphical display of the user interface 400.

FIGS. 4-6 are provided as exemplary displays of a user interface. Othertext, colors, shapes, and/or information may be provided by the userinterface 400 without departing from the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a method 700 according to at least oneembodiment of the disclosure. The method 700 may be performed by adisinfection system of an ultrasound imaging system, such asdisinfection system 300 of FIG. 3. At Block 705, the disinfection systemmay detect a display in a disinfect position (e.g., parallel to acontrol panel). At Block 710, the disinfection system may turn on a UVlight source. The disinfection system may then run a timer for adisinfection cycle time at Block 715. In some embodiments, Block 710 andBlock 715 may be initiated simultaneously. After the disinfection cycletime has completed, the disinfection system may turn off the UV lightsource at Block 720. At Block 725, the disinfection system may send adisinfected indicator to a user interface. Responsive to the indicator,the user interface may display a graphic indicating that the ultrasoundimaging system has been disinfected. At Block 730, the disinfectionsystem may detect motion of the display, touch on the control panel,and/or portion of the ultrasound imaging system. The disinfection systemmay then send an indicator to the user interface to stop displaying thegraphic indicating that the ultrasound imaging system is disinfected atBlock 735.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method 800 according to at least oneembodiment of the disclosure. The method 800 may be performed by adisinfection system of an ultrasound imaging system, such asdisinfection system 300 of FIG. 3. At Block 805, the disinfection systemmay detect a display in a disinfect position (e.g., parallel to acontrol panel). At Block 810, the disinfection system may turn on a UVlight source. The disinfection system may then run a timer at Block 815.In some embodiments, Block 810 and Block 815 may be initiatedsimultaneously. At Block 820, the disinfection system may detect motionof the flat panel display, touch on the control panel, and/or portion ofthe ultrasound imaging system prior to the end of the timer started atBlock 815. The disinfection system may then turn off the UV light sourceat Block 825 and send an indicator to a user interface that thedisinfection cycle was interrupted at Block 830.

Responsive to the indicator, the user interface may display a graphicindicating that the ultrasound imaging system has not been disinfected.At Block 835, the disinfection system may detect an input from a user.In some embodiments, the input may be a detected touch on the controlpanel and/or portion of the ultrasound imaging system. In someembodiments, the input from the user may be an input provided to theuser interface to acknowledge viewing the graphic indicating that theultrasound imaging system has not been disinfected. In some embodiments,the input from the user may be initiating an ultrasound exam. Thedisinfection system may then send an indicator to the user interface tostop displaying the graphic indicating that the ultrasound imagingsystem is not disinfected at Block 840. Alternatively, the disinfectionsystem may send an indicator to the user interface to stop displayingthe graphic after a set period of time (e.g., five minutes, one hour).

An ultrasound system including a disinfection system may optionallyinclude additional features. For example, a curtain may be coupled to aperiphery of a display. The curtain may surround the display and obscurethe control panel from view when the display is parallel to the controlpanel. The curtain may reduce or eliminate UV light from reflecting offthe control panel onto other surfaces in a room (e.g., patient eyes andskin, UV sensitive equipment, UV sensitive drugs). In some embodiments,the display may include an indicator on an edge or a back surface. Theindicator may indicate a disinfection status of the ultrasound imagingsystem. For example, an LED may be included on an edge or back surfaceof the display. The LED may be red during disinfection, green afterdisinfection, and yellow after an interrupted disinfection cycle. Thismay allow a user to determine the disinfection status without touchingthe display. In some embodiments, the ultrasound imaging system mayprovide audible signals based on the disinfection status. In someembodiments, the ultrasound imaging system may provide disinfectionstatus and/or other information (e.g., disinfection log) to an externalcomputer system. For example, a hospital may have a computer system thattracks the disinfection status of medical devices in the hospital. Theinformation may be transmitted wirelessly, via Ethernet cable, and/orother method.

Although the present system has been described with reference to anultrasound imaging system, the present system may be extended to otherimaging systems and medical devices. Further, the present system mayalso include one or more elements which may be used with non-ultrasoundimaging systems so that they may provide features and advantages of thepresent system.

Further, the present methods, systems, and apparatuses may be applied toexisting imaging systems such as, for example, ultrasonic imagingsystems. Suitable ultrasonic imaging systems may include a Philips®ultrasound system which may, for example, support a conventionalbroadband linear array transducer that may be suitable for small-partsimaging.

Certain additional advantages and features of this invention may beapparent to those skilled in the art upon studying the disclosure, ormay be experienced by persons employing the novel system and method ofthe present invention, chief of which is UV disinfection of ultrasoundsystems and methods of operation thereof are provided. Another advantageof the present systems and method is that conventional medical imagesystems may be upgraded to incorporate the features and advantages ofthe present systems, devices, and methods.

Of course, it is to be appreciated that any one of the above embodimentsor processes may be combined with one or more other embodiments and/orprocesses or be separated and/or performed amongst separate devices ordevice portions in accordance with the present systems, devices andmethods.

Finally, the above-discussion is intended to be merely illustrative ofthe present system and should not be construed as limiting the appendedclaims to any particular embodiment or group of embodiments. Thus, whilethe present system has been described in particular detail withreference to exemplary embodiments, it should also be appreciated thatnumerous modifications and alternative embodiments may be devised bythose having ordinary skill in the art without departing from thebroader and intended spirit and scope of the present system as set forthin the claims that follow. Accordingly, the specification and drawingsare to be regarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended tolimit the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of disinfecting an ultrasound imagingsystem, the method comprising: detecting, with a position sensor, adisplay is in a disinfect position; providing a control signal to anultra violet (UV) light source to turn on the UV light source; running atimer for a disinfection cycle time; and providing the control signal tothe UV light source to turn off the UV light source responsive tocompletion of the disinfection cycle time, wherein the control signal isprovided by a controller.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprisingsending a disinfected indicator to a user interface.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising detecting at least one of a motion or atouch of the ultrasound imaging system and sending an indicator to turnoff the disinfected indicator.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising turning off the UV light source prior to an end of thedisinfection cycle time responsive, at least in part, to detecting atleast one of a motion or touch of the ultrasound imaging system.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising sending a disinfection cycleinterrupted indicator to a user interface.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising setting the disinfection cycle time.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising displaying on the display a disinfectionlog.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending disinfectioninformation from the ultrasound imaging system to an external computersystem.